A four-year-old boy died after accidentally suffocating in a shop dressing room, police said.

Ryu Pena, from Minnesota, was playing a dressing room on Saturday when the hood of his jumper got caught on a hook.

Ryu's feet were unable to reach the floor and he suffocated, Commander Jeremy Clifton of the Mankato Police Department told NBC News.

Emergency services were called to the store at around 5.30pm and they attempted to revive Ryu. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

His grandmother was looking after him but was trying on clothes, his mother Denise Gonzalez told the local news station Kare 11.

Mrs Gonzalez said she doesn't blame her mother or the store for her son's death.

"He was being a kid. It could happen to anybody at any time," she said.

After his death, Jessica Cuevas, who said she's Ryu's aunt, set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $11,000 for his funeral.

Ms Cuevas wrote on the page: "God gained another angel last night and the few short years he was here with us, he never failed to make our day.

"Ryu was such a sweet boy, with a gorgeous smile and a unique little personality. His best friend was his older sister Glory, he followed her around everywhere he was so happy and full of life."

Within hours the page had smashed its fundraising target.

Mrs Gonzalez wrote on the fundraising page: "I thank the Lord for giving me the privilege to have had borrowed an angel."